6.6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
In the fall of 1976, a small psychology lab in Pennsylvania became the unwitting home to the only government-confirmed case of possession. The U.S. military assumed control of the lab under orders of national security and, soon after, implemented measures aimed at weaponizing the entity. The details of the inexplicable events that occurred are being made public after remaining classified for nearly forty years.
Starring: William Mapother, Rya Kihlstedt, Sharon Maughan, Harry Groener, John RubinsteinHorror | 100% |
Supernatural | 25% |
Thriller | 20% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
English SDH, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Is there more to man than man has been led to believe? Are there innate powers that may be dubbed "supernatural" that exist within everyone, waiting, yearning to escape? Are these powers limited to a particular subset of people, individuals who, for whatever reason, are "gifted" with powers normally reserved for the realms of fantasy, Science Fiction, and distant aliens? Or are abilities like telekinesis, extrasensory perception, and other terrifying abnormalities all the stuff of make-believe? The Atticus Institute would have its audience believe that these powers do exist, and that they're far more dangerous than the ability to see hidden items or control objects with the mind. The film, cobbled together Documentary-style with video and photographic recreations of late 1970s experimentation on a particularly adept subject, strives for authenticity of presentation in its story that just may lead its audience to believe that, indeed, there's more going on in the darkest corners of shadow government than the public has been led to believe.
Going to extremes.
For a movie pieced together from a variety of sources and styles, The Atticus Institute's Blu-ray fares rather well within its context. Certainly, the only real pieces of video on which the transfer can be judged are its HD interview segments, which offer a satisfyingly clear, robust image with natural colors and sharp, well-defined details. Absent are excessive examples of blockiness or background banding. The rest of the film is made of deliberately worn, degraded, and otherwise poor-quality sources. Whether bits of old , damaged film or wavy, poorly defined, and inaccurately colored video, there are a number of scenes that viewers will watch that are deliberately devoid of classic "eye candy" in an effort to recreate the era, not spoil the visual senses. There are also a number of damaged and faded photographs that noticeably produce pale, purplish black levels. In essence, the movie is sort of like a WWE Blu-ray that's mostly made of vintage footage and supported by some scattered, newly crafted HD interviews.
The Atticus Institute features an active Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Big screams and screeches are regulars that enjoy sharp, piercing, and largely accurate presentation, though as is always the case with "found footage" the juxtaposition of junk video and professionally mixed audio doesn't blend very well. Music is deep and nicely spaced, with tight bass and quality front-end presence. The track features a good number of aggressive effects, such as a fist pounding on a table and a few bits of general chaos when things get rough with Judith. The track additionally features some quality ambience, largely in the way of 70s equipment softly humming in the background. Dialogue is firm and clear in the new interview clips and satisfyingly presented in the "old" video segments.
The Atticus Institute contains a featurette and deleted scenes.
The Atticus Institute doesn't bring much to the "found footage" genre. It's reasonably entertaining and well made -- convincing in its appearance in particular -- but it's part of a genre that's wearing out its welcome with the flood of clones coming to market over the last decade-plus. The movie in question satisfies core genre requirements, and truth be told is a bit better than many of it peers, but the illusion is all but gone from these sorts of movies. Anchor Bay's Blu-ray release of The Atticus Institute features solid video, strong audio, and a couple of extras. Rent it.
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